Cov targeting fourth spot

An eight-game unbeaten run and an emphatic comefrom-behind win at Rotherham, has left anyone attached to Coventry believing in everything from their own indomitability, to the existence of Santa Claus.

An eight-game unbeaten run and an emphatic comefrom-behind win at Rotherham, has left anyone attached to Coventry believing in everything from their own indomitability, to the existence of Santa Claus.

As if to underline the strides they have made in the past 12 months, at the same stage of the season last year they looked destined for relegation, Coventry produced two contrasting performances at Clifton Lane to enhance their ambitions of upward mobility.

For the first-half of the match against the Titans they were a listless, disorganised collection of individuals, who looked as though they had never even met before. Very much Coventry circa 2004.

But in the second 40 minutes the Midlanders produced a compelling display of near error-free rugby and scored three tries to one, to leave Yorkshire with their third consecutive road victory.

The Blue and White vintage of 2005 is clearly a heady brew because players and management alike, have begun to proclaim the team's potential.

While captain Adrian Olver now wants his team to extend their undefeated sequence to the end of the season, coach Steve Williams is aiming for a top four finish.

For Williams the secondhalf display was one of huge promise. "All 22 started playing and all 22 fronted up," he said. "It's nice because the boys get a real big buzz coming off a performance like that.

"At half-time we realised we had a lot more in us. To start off badly and coming back so strong is a good feeling."

So good in fact that Williams is now convinced his team can lift their horizons. "Our goal is to get into fourth place in this league and I think we are more than capable of that.

"It is realistic it is just a question of what happens on the day. The boys are really enjoying it at the moment," he said.

Olver has got even loftier ambitions. "I am hoping we will go unbeaten for the rest of the season now. If we keep our heads switched on we can beat anybody on our day."

Both marks would be quite an achievement. National One is headed by a trio of South Western professional teams, Exeter, Plymouth Albion and Bristol.

That leaves just one other top four position, to be contested by five more clubs. Otley hold that spot, three points better off than Coventry with a game in hand.

As for winning all of their six remaining fixtures that might be even more tricky. Many commentators believe that their role for the rest of the campaign might be confined to kingmaker.

With both Bristol and Exeter to play they can have a significant say in who wins the First Division, and having drawn with Plymouth ten days ago, Coventry feel they can feather their own nests as well as shoot holes in someone else's.

Their remaining matches against Pertemps Bees, Otley, Bedford and Sedgley Park, on paper at least are the sort that inspire confidence rather than trepidation.

The optimism has percolated down to the players with scrum-half Shaun Perry, who inspired his team to the remarkable turn around at Rotherham, sure that good times are afoot.

"We were very good in the second-half against Rotherham and were unfortunate to only get a draw last week," Perry said. "The rest of the season is going to be good.

"We are playing well away and at home, we have come together well as a team. We have got good consistency in our selection now.

"It is a good team which has a different feel about it to the previous ones I have played in for Coventry. The bonding is superb, we all get on." That would get even the bitterest cynic believing in Santa Claus.